Sermon Notes
Sermon Title & Text “Living a Life of Repentance” 1 Kings 21 ESV
Sermon Series: Wisdom: What God Knows! Better decisions & Greater Insight
Message in a Sentence: God is moved by a yielded and repentant heart.
• Instead of Ahab being thankful for God allowing Ahab & Israel to keep Samaria, he instead desired to take more of it for himself. His selfish act is the “evil” character we have seen since the introduction of Ahab in 1 Ki 16. Yet, even for someone like Ahab, repentance is available.
• Character Flaw: Ahab’s desire for Naboth’s garden, for himself, violates (1) God’s law regarding the land in Leviticus 25:23, the land was not to be sold because the land ultimately belonged to God (2)basic principle of how to treat people. Ahab went away, “sullen and vexed”.
• Jezebel schemes to get the land for Ahab, at the expense of Naboth’s life.
• God sends Elijah to find Ahab and speak judgement to him, in the first person, on behalf of God. vv17-24
• Much like the difference between worldly advice and godly wisdom. The advice from Jezebel and the wisdom from God draw a stark contrast in that one complicates Ahab’s life and the other spares his life.
• It is pretty remarkable, but even for Ahab, when he hears of the judgement of God, he repents. To repent is to change directions. There are two clear signs of Ahab turning toward God:
1. Ahab mourned v27: Mourn relationship with God (not mere behavior)
2. Ahab humbled himself v 28: Lower self before the Lord
• Ahab’s repentance is understood to be genuine and God delays punishment on Ahab because of his repentance.
Living a Life of Repentance
- Response to God’s Word. Acts 2:36-41, 20:21, 17:22-31*, 2 Tim 2:25, Mt. 4:17
- Evidence of Changed Life Matthew 3:2, 8-12, Acts 26:20*, Acts 3:16-20*
Notes:
To continue to develop your relationship with Christ, spend time every day this week praying and meditating on this passage and it’s truths with EveryDay Jesus.
Edward